I'm looking to come up with a spell that allows a spellcaster to coat their body in magic so they can actually throw a punch when things get personal. I was already have some ideas , but I suck at balancing so any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

Standard for natural weapons now is 1d6+Str, so if you made it 1d6+Spellcasting Ability that should be fair.

Quote from gabetaylor05 >>

I'm looking to come up with a spell that allows a spellcaster to coat their body in magic so they can actually throw a punch when things get personal. I was already have some ideas , but I suck at balancing so any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

You could use an existing melee attack spell like primal savagery as a template and tweak as necessary -- reducing the damage die if your new spell has a less resisted damage type like force damage, for instance, or has an extra effect like shocking grasp does

You could combine the effects of flame blade and fire shield, adjusting their effects based on the level of the spell.

A 1st level variant might look like this:

Level - 1 | Casting Time - 1 Action | Range/Area - Self |  Components - S,M* | Duration - 1 minute (C) | School - Evocation (or transmutation, maybe) | Attack/Save - none | Damage - Force

You coat your body in magical energies, allowing you to punish your enemies with your own hands. Your unarmed strikes and natural weapons count as magic for the duration. In addition, when you are hit by a melee attack, the attacker takes 1d4 force damage; and your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

I don't think a spell like this would be balanced if it were to scale, but could remain useful at higher levels.

This is just an example of merging the two mentioned spells to fit the flavor and intended effect of your desired homebrew. A higher level spell would likely either increase the damage, or allow it to scale in a balanced manner without being too complicated.

Hope this helps! Happy homebrewing!

I had been thinking something simpler like a cantrip that allowed you to punch for 1d6+Spellcasting Ability modifier and that the number of d6s would scale at 5th, 11th, and 17th like other cantrips. That’s likely 1d6+3 to start and up to 4d6+5 at high enough levels (+6 with the right tome/manual).

The cantrip I created for the dream/nightmare-themed sorcerer in my home campaign, Chimeric Countenance, is straight d8 damage, but it allows a choice of damage type. d6 plus ability mod would make sense too:

 

LEVEL

Cantrip

CASTING TIME

1 Bonus Action

RANGE/AREA

Self

COMPONENTS

S

DURATION

1 Round

SCHOOL

Transmutation

ATTACK/SAVE

 Melee

DAMAGE/EFFECT

All

 

This spell grants you the natural weapons of some nightmarish creature. You develop razor-sharp claws or teeth, horns, a stinger or other such defenses, which may be wreathed in magical energy. You choose bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, acid, cold, fire or poison for the type of weapon you create. If you make a melee spell attack against one creature within 5 feet of you before the spell ends, on a hit the target takes 1d8 damage of the type you chose. Your features return to normal at the end of the round.

The spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). Also at 11th level, you are able to choose from any damage type, adding force, lightning, necrotic, psychic, radiant and thunder to your options.